Linwood library moving into larger facility on K-32

Linwood Community Library director Sue Peavy stands in front of the future home of the community library. The library board recently purchased the building, which is the former New Linwood Cafe on Kansas Highway 32. Peavy said the new library is expected to open in the fall.

The Linwood Community Library will be moving later this year to a new location that will double the size of space for the library, which has been in operation for more than 30 years.

Currently at 302 Main St. in downtown Linwood, the library will move to Kansas Highway 32, into the former New Linwood Café.

The existing library has about 1,880 total square feet, 680 square feet is non-public area, such as storage. So 1,200 square feet is available for public use.

The new library will have 3,500 square feet.

Library board chairman Bruce Nelson said the building was purchased earlier this year for $290,000. The library made a down payment of $35,000, so $255,000 will be financed through First State Bank and Trust during a 10-year period. The lease payments will be made through the library’s current operating budget. In addition, capital and general funds that have accumulated through the years will cover remodeling costs.

Nelson also said the new site on the highway is ideal for getting more traffic to the library. Being a library district, as opposed to a city library, the district actually covers Sherman and Reno townships and is known as Linwood Community Library District No. 1.

“This way people driving by can stop at the library and pick something up,” Nelson said.

The Basehor Community Library is known as Leavenworth County District No. 2 and follows the Basehor-Linwood school district boundaries, excluding areas in the school district that are in the Linwood Community Library’s district. Library districts levy mills similar to a water district or school district.

Library director Sue Peavy said the move should take place in the fall. The library board has rented space at the library’s current location since 1980. Before that, the library had occupancy in other Main Street locations since its inception in 1977.

“The staff and I, along with the board, are really looking toward being able to expand,” Peavy said.

She said the library’s collection appears to be much smaller than it is because the library doesn’t have room for all its books. She said the new library would provide more seating for people utilizing the library.

“For teens and young children, they will have their own area for activities where their exuberance in discovering, etcetera, will not have a negative impact on the rest of the library,” Peavy said with a laugh.

Some walls are being knocked out of the future library and other changes will be made to build a library director’s office and alter other areas for the children’s area and a community room.

The library board will seek bids soon for the renovation work, Peavy said.

State statutes allow for library boards to set aside up to 10 percent of capital and general funds. Though the board hasn’t been able to do that every year, Peavy said money has been put into CDs and will fund the renovations.